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1. Trudeau government should heed looming risks to federal finances

   Appeared in the Globe and Mail, October 23, 2020 The federal government along with several prominent economists have downplayed the near-term risks to federal finances. Some have actually characterized Ottawa’s financial position as basically “ sound.” ...

2. Canada’s federal finances at risk—repeating mistakes of the past

   Appeared in the Daily Gleaner, August 29, 2019 The latest economic news from the United States foreshadows recession. Recently, the U.S. stock market had its worst day in 2019, plunging 800 points. The bond market is showing weakness with short-term ...

3. Federal Deficits Then and Now: Is Canada Repeating the Fiscal Mistakes of 1965 to 1995?

   From 1965 to 1995, the Canadian federal government repeatedly ran deficits, accumulating debt, a habit that culminated in the near crisis of the mid-1990s. After a period of reform beginning in 1995, Canada returned to deficits in 2008/09. While ...

4. The finance minister said what? Part 4

   Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau (pictured above) appeared this weekend on CTV’s Question Period to present the government’s case for its economic and fiscal policies, which were reflected in the fall economic update released last ...

5. Federal government doesn’t seem to recognize the hole it’s digging

   If you were already worried about the Trudeau government’s persistent increases in government spending and debt, then today’s Fall Fiscal Update will only compound your concerns. But for those not already anxious about the state of ...

6. Ten year-end facts Canadians need to know

   As we end 2017, here are 10 year-end facts Canadians should understand and consider as we enter 2018: • The total tax bill for the average Canadian family will exceed $35,000 in 2017, or 42.5 per cent of their income—more than what the ...

7. Race to the Bottom: Comparing the Recent Deficits of Alberta and Ontario

   Alberta’s public finances are deteriorating rapidly, with the provincial government set to run a cumulative budget deficit of $27.6 billion over the three-year period from 2015/16 to 2017/18. Until recently, by far the largest deficits of any ...

8. Another broken promise—federal government ditches latest fiscal pledge

   By 2019/20, Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio is forecasted to be 31.5 per cent. ...

9. Moving Targets: Re-estimating Federal Deficits and Debt-to-GDP through 2020/21

   The federal government has repeatedly shifted the goal posts on its own “fiscal anchors.” This bulletin examines the robustness of the current “fiscal anchor” to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio by the government’s first mandate. The 2016 federal budget ...

10. Debt Accumulation in Ontario Compared to Other Provinces

    A recent Fraser Institute study showed that Ontario’s provincial government has accumulated debt rapidly in recent years. In fact, Ontario has acquired more than half of its nearly $300 billion net debt (a measure that adjusts for financial assets) since ...